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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28181769">Crime Doesn't Pay (Right?)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeepSpaceTrash/pseuds/DeepSpaceTrash'>DeepSpaceTrash</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hero of the Republic [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, BAMF CC-1010 | Fox, CC-1010 | Fox Deserves Better, CC-1010 | Fox Needs A Hug, Chat Fic (Briefly), F/M, Fix-It, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, M/M, Manipulative Sheev Palpatine, Order 66 Didn't Happen (Star Wars), Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious Being an Asshole, all the romances are only mentioned, and dammit he gets better, but he's to busying being a hero to get one, don't worry the major character death is palpatine, fox deserves to retire after all this nonsense, fuck palpatine all my homies hate palpatine, only for the people who count tho, the clones have a good time</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:00:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,665</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28181769</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeepSpaceTrash/pseuds/DeepSpaceTrash</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>At this point in his career, Commander Fox had hoped he would be high enough rank to not be chasing after petty thieves. And yet, here he was</p>
<p>aka</p>
<p>Fox saves the Republic and everything is fine because thinking about characters being dead makes me sad</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CC-1010 | Fox &amp; CC-1004 | Gree, CC-1010 | Fox &amp; CC-3636 | Wolffe, CC-1010 | Fox &amp; CC-4477 | Thire, CC-1010 | Fox &amp; CC-6454 | Ponds, CC-1010 | Fox &amp; CT-7567 | Rex, CC-1010 | Fox &amp; Clone Commander Thorn (Star Wars), CC-1010 | Fox &amp; Hound (Star Wars), CC-1010 | Fox &amp; Jek (Star Wars), CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-5052 | Bly &amp; CC-1010 | Fox, CC-5052 | Bly/Aayla Secura, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hero of the Republic [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074881</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>324</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Commander Fox</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Crime Doesn't Pay (Right?)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotYouDeku/gifts">NotYouDeku</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a christmas gift to my very wonderful friend, and she enjoyed it, so I hope you do to! Kudos and comments are appreciated &lt;3 (and this is my first time writing canon characters oop-)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At this point in his career, Commander Fox had hoped he would be high enough rank to not be chasing after petty thieves. And yet, here he was, chasing after a Dug with two other members of the guard. Granted, this wasn’t just some pickpocket from down at the lower levels. They had caught him going through the, thankfully empty, office of a senator, and were now chasing him throughout the Senate Office Building. Normally, they would have more members of the guard on an incident with such high-risk potential, but with Commander Thorn still recovering from his close call on Scipio, thus leaving Fox to take over all of his work and squads for the time being, and the loss of many good shock troopers on said mission to Scipio, the Coruscant Guard was spread even thinner than usual.</p>
<p>At least they were able to get the building on lockdown before the guy could slip out. And while most of the senators had left for the evening, the Chancellor was still in his office. This was certainly not an assassination attempt, but knowing their luck, things could go very south very fast. Luckily, he, along with Hound and Jek, had been able to corral the Dug down to the basement level of the building. And for all the over the top, needless nonsense that happened with the senators nearly every other week, at least their buildings had good security installed. Metal shutters did wonders to keep criminals from slipping away through the many, many windows that seemingly every upper-level building needed to have.</p>
<p>As the trio entered the basement, following after the skittering sounds of the thief, they were met with a three-way split. Oh, how convenient. Holding back the urge to sigh, Fox signaled for them to each take a separate route, Hound on the right, Jek on the left, and the commander himself would take the center path. Keep it quiet, and keep their blasters on stun. Not that they had been planning on using lethal force before this, but Fives had been a close call, and Fox didn’t trust that he would be so lucky yet again.</p>
<p>After getting nods of acknowledgment, the microscopic squad split up. Fox was saved from total silence by the hiss and groans from the pipes connecting to whatever was down here. Dull fluorescent lights flickered above his head, grime caking the edges. Since no senator in their right mind would ever come down here, the cleaning droids put a lot less effort in keeping appearances up, though, with the size of the building and its inclination towards being the location of disaster, Fox could hardly blame them.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before the commander came across an open door, leading to a pitch-black room. Moving even slower, Fox pushed the door open a bit more with the tip of his blaster. He considered turning on his helmet’s night vision, but not wanting to risk removing a hand from his rifle, he opted to flick on the flashlight mounted on the blaster.</p>
<p>Immediately, the light hit the figure of the Dug they had been looking for, who was clutching a pair of pistols. Flinching back at the sudden light, the thief pointed the pistols at Fox.</p>
<p>“D- Don’t move, or I’ll- I’ll shoot you!” If his shaking, stuttering voice wasn’t enough to give away that the Dug was nervous, the commander could see how his hands shook, fingers twitching just above the triggers.</p>
<p>“Sir, for the safety of yourself and others, I must insist you put your weapons down immediately and surrender yourself into the custody of the Coruscant Guard,” Fox replied, keeping his voice clean and emotionless. Using this line seldom worked, especially alone, but there was a first time for everything.</p>
<p>“I- I swear, I’ll do it!” Was all the Dug said in response, however, eyes nervously looking for some way out of whatever the hell this room was for. It was far too dark for Fox to tell, if he even cared in the first place.</p>
<p>“Sir-” Fox started again, taking a step forward. And that was his mistake. That single step was too much for the thief before him, and he fired his pistols. Fox ducked, though that wasn’t even necessary in the end. The Dug had been shaking so bad, he missed by a mile. But, he did hit something. And that something must have been important because, in an instant, the basement was plunged into darkness.</p>
<p>Before he had a chance to react, the Dug shoved past Fox, vanishing into the pitch black. Quickly regaining his composure, Fox flicked off his flashlight and turned on his helmet’s night vision.</p>
<p>So, it was going to be one of those days.</p>
<p>“Alright,” He said, changing to the local comm channel. “I’m guessing you two are in pitch black right now as well?”</p>
<p>“Force Fox, the kriff did you do?” Jek responded, much to the exasperation of the commander.</p>
<p>“Can it trooper. Besides, I didn’t do anything. The guy we were after is such a bad shot he looped back around to being able to hit something.”</p>
<p>“Think we can fix it?” Hound asked, almost hopeful.</p>
<p>“Doubt it,” Fox glanced around the room to find out what the thing was. It wasn’t hard to spot the smoking box, especially with the bright yellow symbol warning about electricity. “Even if I knew how to fix it, the thing’s completely fried. Looks to be the power system for the whole building.”</p>
<p>“Wait,” Hound says after a moment of silence. “If the powers out, doesn’t that mean the security system is disabled as well?”</p>
<p>Fox wasn’t sure if it was him or Jek who cursed. Maybe it was both of them. Probably both of them.</p>
<p>“Rendezvous with me at the entrance to the stairwell, and we’ll see how bad this is,” Fox ordered before making his to the said stairwell. It wasn’t long before the other two joined him, and with the trio reformed, they made their way up the stairs to the first floor.</p>
<p>To none of their surprise, the power was out here as well, the shutters had now drawn back up, letting in the lights of the city shine through the many windows. Maybe those things weren’t entirely detrimental.</p>
<p>“I’ll put out a wanted alert to the rest of the guard. I got the best look at the guy.” Fox volunteered, starting to type away at the comm on his arm as the other two fanned out to look around the room. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be as bad as first predicted.</p>
<p>But of course, Fox could never have an easy day.</p>
<p>“Connection is dead in here.” He declared after a few minutes of fruitless trying to get anything to work. “Can’t get anything outside of the local chat. Must have also been connected to the power.”</p>
<p>“I’m no electrician or whatever, but that seems like a horrible design flaw.” Jek pointed out, and internally, Fox couldn’t help but agree with him.</p>
<p>“It doesn’t matter now.” The commander paused for a moment, thinking. “That thief is probably long gone at this point, and he didn’t even get his hands on much in the first place. Protocol says we have to do a check-in on the Chancellor next.”</p>
<p>And though none of them want to do it, they begin making their way to the Chancellor’s office anyway. No one, at least in the Coruscant Guard, particularly likes the Chancellor. He’ll give mountains of paperwork to Fox instead of doing his job, almost always having private conversations with who the hell knows instead. Maybe if it was just that, it would be annoying, but fine. But it’s not. Strange things always seem to happen when it comes to the Chancellor, but the worst of it is the blanket spots in the memories of guards. One minute someone will be on their way to be on guard duty for him and the next minute it’ll be hours later back in the bunks, even though there’s security footage of them performing their duties like nothing is wrong. And Fox knows this isn’t just some elaborate prank, because he’s experienced it himself. Quite a bit, in truth. And despite being fiercely loyal to the Republic, the Chancellor isn’t the entirety of it, and if he were to endanger said Republic, Fox wouldn’t be particularly upset about having to deal with him.</p>
<p>The first red flag is that there are no guards at the door. There are supposed to be at least two people here at all times, whether their Coruscant,  Senate, or even the Red guards, the Chancellor is not to be left unguarded. Fox knew that last he checked, the schedule for the next week was already set, so there were very few reasons there should be no guards here, and he’s not seeing any dead bodies. Yet.</p>
<p>He signs for Hound and Jek to take the sides of the door, and after a silent count to three, the trio entered the office, their blasters drawn. But it’s empty, with no sign of a struggle. Strange. Something is wrong, but Fox isn’t sure what. All he knows is that he has a bad feeling about this. After quickly clearing the room and finding absolutely nothing, Jek breaks the silence.</p>
<p>“Okay, this is super weird, right? It’s not just me?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, this is strange.” Hound agreed. “The Chancellor couldn’t have left without us knowing about it, but if he was kidnapped or something, there should be some sort of sign. And unless any potential kidnappers were somehow in here beforehand, they would have had to come through here unless they wanted to set off an alarm by breaking through a window or something.”</p>
<p>This whole situation was already giving Fox a headache, and he had a feeling it wouldn’t be going away anytime soon. “Let’s clear all the other rooms before we try to figure out what happened.”</p>
<p>After clearing the Ceremonial Office, Anteroom, the Red Guards’ Office, and even the Chancellor’s private chambers, there was only one place left to check; the Private Office. And even without any of them being the slightest bit force-sensitive, they could feel the dark energy radiating from the door to it. None of them knew what was in there, but it was certainly nothing good.</p>
<p>“I mean, do we have to go in there?” Jek asked, which earned him a shoulder jab from Fox.</p>
<p>“We can’t break protocol over feelings based on nothing. Come on.” Fox didn’t want to go in there either, protocols be damned, but he wanted to avoid getting reconditioned, or even decommissioned, even more. So, like with every other room so far, after a short count to three, they bust in.</p>
<p>It was only then that Fox realized the room was soundproofed because right in front of them was Chancellor Palpatine and General Skywalker in the middle of a loud and intense argument. So loud, they had yet to notice the three guards who had just burst in. Fox took that time to observe the rest of the room to figure out what the hell was happening.</p>
<p>To start, there were four Jedi on the floor, three directly at their feet. Fox was pretty sure at least General Fisto was still alive, but it was hard to tell with the other two. General Windu was on the other side of the room, slumped against the edge of the window. From his current distance, Fox couldn’t tell if he was still alive, but his right hand being a few feet away from his body was certainly not a good sign.</p>
<p>But the grand centerpiece of this disaster was, of course, the screaming match between the Chancellor and General Skywalker. Though, the majority of the yelling was coming from the latter, who was also gesturing wildly, something very concerning considering he was also holding a lightsaber. Speaking of lightsabers, it appears the Chancellor has one as well. Force knows why he has it, is it one of the maybe dead Jedi’s, or somehow his own? Maybe Fox should start paying attention to the argument in front of him instead of losing his mind trying to comprehend everything going on in this room.</p>
<p>“-Kill then! How the hell am I supposed to trust someone who I’ve only seen kill people keep someone alive! Especially a Sith Lord of all people!”</p>
<p>As it turns out, listening in had been a very good idea. General Skywalker’s claim of the Chancellor being a Sith Lord makes a certain amount of sense. And why would he lie about it? As far as Fox knows, the General has yet to notice the arrival of the three.</p>
<p>“Anakin, my boy, I assure you, this was all necessary. The Jedi have blinded you to the truth, and the only way to see past it was to kill them. Otherwise, you would never be able to save your wife.”</p>
<p>Ignoring the wife part for the moment, that was a direct admission to attempting to murder four Jedi. If the Chancellor wasn’t a Sith Lord, he had at least committed or tried to commit,  four murders, and four high-ranking members of a powerful religious group, two of which had been generals in the army. Even as the Chancellor of the Republic, that was illegal.</p>
<p>He silently exchanged a look with Jek and Hound, all three of them understanding what they had to do.</p>
<p>“Chancellor Palpatine,” Fox said, leveling his blaster at the soon to be ex-Chancellor, “I am arresting you or the murder of four Jedi and treason to the Republic. Drop anything in your hands and put your hands behind your head.”</p>
<p>Both Palpatine and General Skywalker stopped their fight to look at the three-man squad. Skywalker just seemed genuinely shocked, and Fox noticed that his eyes were a mix of yellow blue, the former color not having been there before. And while Palpatine was surprised as well, there was anger as well, fury, and… Something darker. And now that the Palpatine was facing him, face no longer entirely hidden by the dark hooded robe he was wearing, Fox could see now that something had changed about him. He looked at least a decade older, skin wrinkled and pale, and deep dark circles hanging under his vivid yellow eyes. And though Fox didn’t have that much personal experience with them, he knew that color was the telltale mark of a Sith.</p>
<p>He scowled and started to raise his empty, but General Skywalker, ever the impulsive, ignited his lightsaber, forcing Palpatine to ignite his, revealing that the thing he had been holding was, in fact, a lightsaber, and the vivid red color it bore. Another thing only Sith bore. Well, Palpatine was a Sith now, there was no doubt about it.</p>
<p>Deflecting blaster bolts? Ridiculously easy for anyone with a lightsaber and enough knowledge to wield it properly. Fighting someone else with a lightsaber? Depending on skill with the weapon, the difficulty could vary, but it was still feasible. Doing both at the same time? Now that was a challenge. And Fox could tell that, despite taking down four Jedi Masters, he was struggling. But General Skywalker had been expecting to be attacked, and he fought aggressively. When the red and blue sabers clashed, there was a brief flash of purple, and Fox could swear he could even see lightning crackling through the air.</p>
<p>The commander had to admit though, this fight would have been far harder if Palpatine hadn’t been worn out by the Jedi Masters earlier. Even a Sith Lord will get tired eventually, especially an old one in a body that wasn’t exactly made for fighting. </p>
<p>Skywalker’s and Palpatine’s sabers hit again, but instead of instantly pulling away, Skywalker kept them connected, pushing forward with what seemed to be pure rage, pining Palpatine against the large communicator the two had been arguing near minutes ago.</p>
<p>And with the two struggling against each other, Fox saw a chance, and he wasn’t foolish enough not to take it. He did not hesitate, pointing his blaster directly at Palpatine’s head, and for once, he didn’t regret not waiting. Because, for all the fear the Sith brought to anyone who encountered them, they were very susceptible to blaster bolt to the head.</p>
<p>Palpatine didn’t realize what was happening until it was far too late, and all he could do was make a shocked expression before the bolt went clear through his head, leaving two smoking holes as his body crumpled to the floor, the robe he had been wearing covering the gruesome sight.</p>
<p>Skywalker turned off his lightsaber, panting as he dripped in sweat, eyes still swirling with blue and gold, expression full of so many emotions that Fox was unable to decipher anything. </p>
<p>A heavy silence hung in the air, pressing down on all the living, not actively dying, people in the room.</p>
<p>“Did- Did we just kill the Chancellor?” Jek asked, cutting through the silence, and even with his bucket on, Fox could hear the shock in his voice.”</p>
<p>“Think so.” Hound replied, sounding just as shocked as his vod did, and Fox couldn’t blame either of them for it.</p>
<p>“I need to sit down,” Jek said before settling down right there on the floor, Hound following closely behind him.</p>
<p>“Me too.” General Skywalker muttered, sounding delirious, before collapsing into a heap.</p>
<p>After giving himself a moment to take that in, Fox nudged the corpse of Palpatine, just to make sure he was dead. Well, less nudged and more kicked it. Because, if Fox was going to be brutally honest, he felt no sorrow for the dead man, if he could even be called a man. Because even if he didn’t know what he had done to him and his brothers, he knew that monster had been doing something, and all the commander could do was stand by and suffer in silence, not knowing what was happening or being able to stop it. One pawn out of millions, in a great game of chess that covered the galaxy, and destroyed everything in its path.</p>
<p>So, when he put that blaster bolt into Palpatine’s head, it had been the happiest moment of his life. So far, anyway. Part of Fox hoped that, when he did die, his happiest moment from life wouldn’t be murdering a creature, no matter how horrible they had been. But, if it was, it wasn’t the worst happiest moment someone could have. He had just saved the Republic from the tyranny of a Sith Lord, hadn’t he?  And as a man with no rights, a slave born to live and die in war, he couldn’t do much better than that.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>GAR Commander Chat [Private]</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Fox:</b> <em>Just killed the Chancellor, who was actually a Sith Lord. Medics are tending to the four Jedi Masters he at least attempted to kill, their status is unclear at the moment. Updates to come.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> *several people are typing* </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Rex:</b> <em>I honestly don’t know what to say to that</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Bly:</b> <em>Is this supposed to be good news??? Bad news??? Please elaborate</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Thorn:</b> <em>I go out of commission for five seconds, and look what happens.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Gree:</b> <em>What</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Ponds:</b> <em>How did I not hear about this until right now, I am literally on Coruscant with you.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Fox:</b> <em>It just happened roughly half an hour ago, and we only got the power back on in here a bit after that. We were lucky we found the emergency breaker. Currently, we’re waiting to be questioned, and messages are being sent out to the other members of the Jedi Council. General Skywalker is also here, but he is passed out on the floor. He has been confirmed to be alive, however.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> *several people are typing* </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Rex:</b> <em>Wait, Skywalker? The hell was he doing there?</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Thorn:</b> <em>Force help me I’m going to need more pain meds. Or just get myself dunked in a tank of bacta for the next week so I don’t have to deal with this.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Bly:</b> <em>That literally only gave me more questions, I don’t need this stress right now, we could go into battle any second now</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Fox: </b> <em> Well, if the war is over soon like it should be, that means everyone will return to Coruscant while the Senate figures out what our next move is. While that’s happening, I can explain all of this down at 79’s. Typing it all out would take far too long. I have to go now, they want to question me next. See you soon, and don’t die before then. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> *several people are typing* </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Bly:</b> <em>Wait Fox you can’t just tell us all that and bounce</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Ponds</b> <b> <em>: </em> </b> <em> Fox, where the kriff are you, I just want to talk- </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Gree:</b> <em>Is this a joke? A really awful joke? Cause it ain’t funny. I was having a relatively good day, but not anymore!</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Rex: </b> <em> I need a drink </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Cody:</b> <em>All you better have a good reason for blowing up this chat out of nowhere. We’re wrapping up on Geonosis right now, and I don’t need any nonsense for all of you.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Rex:</b> <em>Read up, vod</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Cody:</b> <em>This is the last thing I would expect Fox of all people to do. I literally just watched Obi-Wan kill Grievous and I’m more shocked by this.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> *several people are typing* </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Thorn: </b> <em> You’re preaching to the choir, vod. </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Bly:</b> <em>Wait, General Kenobi killed Grievous???</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Gree:</b> <em>Kriffing Force, at the rate I’m getting shocking news, I’m going to have a heart attack, and I really don’t want that to happen in front of General Yoda</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Commander Rex:</b> <em>Okay, that’s it, the chat is closed for the rest of the day. No more game-changing news, nothing. We’re done here, the party is over, everyone go home. If anyone says anything after this in the next 24 hours, I will ban them. I can’t deal with any more of this nonsense right now</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> *This chat has been muted by an admin for 23:59* </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>It had been two weeks since he killed Palpatine, and the Senate still hadn’t decided if he was a hero or a traitor. They seemed to be leaning towards the former though, based on the fact Fox was still allowed to live relatively similar to before it happened, though now he was to spend much of his time avoiding the news, who are foaming at the mouths to get an interview with the man who killed the Sith Lord who had secretly been pulling the strings to bring the end to the Republic. And Fox doesn’t blame them, but he wished he could leave his office without being bombarded and being treated like a holodrama star.</p>
<p>But, at least, something good is coming up. Tonight’s when he’s supposed to meet up with the commanders to explain, to quote the eloquent words of Command Cody, <em> “What the kriff you did.” </em></p>
<p> Cody had developed a way with words over the years. Must have picked it up from General Kenobi, who he seemed oh so close with.</p>
<p>There’s a knock at Fox’s door, his only real haven beside the Coruscant Guard base, if the tiny building can be called a base. The commander is ready to call security on whatever reporter somehow got up here, but as he checks the cameras to see who he needs to ban specifically. But, to his surprise and relief, it was Commander Thorn. Sighing gratefully, Fox clicked a button, opening the door and letting his brother in. Thorn had only been released from recovery in the last week or so, and while he was technically supposed to spend most of his time in the bunks recovering, it was a known fact that commanders even actually followed medical orders given to them.</p>
<p>“Is this a business visit, or are you avoiding the medics?”</p>
<p>“Both,” Thorn replied, sitting down in the seat on the other side of Fox’s desk. “The Senate wants you to speak in front of them in a couple of days, give a public testament about what happened that night.”</p>
<p>Fox groaned. A public speaker he was not. “Why can’t no one just tell me anything directly. And I’m guessing General Skywalker is still unfit to testify?”</p>
<p>“Yup, the Jedi are keeping him at the temple for the foreseeable future.”</p>
<p>“Force help me, I really need that night out at 79’s tonight.”</p>
<p>“We can head out early if you want. We only got about an hour until everyone’s meeting, and I'm sure Stone and Thire won’t mind.”</p>
<p>Fox hesitated for a moment, but dammit, he was tired of paperwork and sitting around hiding from reporters. He had just saved the Republic, he deserved to have one fun night with his brothers.</p>
<p>“Kriff it, let’s go. But we’re going to have to figure out a way to get past the press, unless you want to deal with all that.”</p>
<p>“I’ll tell Stone and Thire to meet us down in the tunnels then.”</p>
<p>Technically, the tunnels were for maintenance people and the like to make their way through the upper level without having to be seen. The guard had quickly found the tunnels and had made a quick agreement of ‘I don’t bother you, you don’t bother me’ with the maintenance staff, and so far, there had been no problems. It was probably the most reliable way to get around the upper levels, especially if you needed to stay hidden.</p>
<p>Getting to the tunnels was fairly easy since reporters weren’t supposed to be allowed in the building without express permission. Granted, that had never stopped any of them before, but it kept them at bay.</p>
<p>They met up with Stone and Thire at the in-between the office building and the guard’s bunk. The other two were already waiting for them, talking about something. Thire saw them first, and Fox didn’t need to see his vod’s face to know he was grinning like a mad man. For all his composure and patience in the field, he was a force of chaos off of it. It was a wonder he hadn’t ended up in the 501st.</p>
<p>“And there he is, the hero of the Republic! Ready to get wasted?”</p>
<p>“Not planning on it,” Fox replied with his usual deadpan. “I’m just going to get myself a drink or two, and watch as all of you dissolve into madness. It’s quite entertaining.”</p>
<p>Thire put a hand to his chest in mock offense. “Vod, you’ve wounded me!”</p>
<p>“We don’t get that bad.” Stone also added, Thorn nodding in agreement.</p>
<p>“Maybe not, but this will be the largest gathering of commanders ever, and all of us know how some of them are.”</p>
<p>And none of the other three could argue with that assessment. As commanders, they all had some level of discipline, especially out in the field. But this was a celebration, where the booze would not be moonshine of debatable quality. So, it was very likely that many of the commanders would… Cut loose, to say the least.</p>
<p>They arrived at 79’s roughly forty minutes before everything was scheduled. The sun had yet to even fully set, so the bar wasn’t crowded yet, though a few troopers were already sitting together at the bar, deep into a hushed conversation, not even noticing the four entering.</p>
<p>Fox had called the bar beforehand, just to make sure this meeting at least started without a hitch. So, the back wall of booths, whose tables were usually split apart to distinguish different tables, were all put together, with a hodgepodge of chairs on the other side.</p>
<p>The group ordered some drinks, and after a bit of small talk and tossing their helmets aside, they started up a game of sabacc. None of them wanted to bet anything of actual value yet, so they settled on the small packs of salt sitting around the table.</p>
<p>Fox was still nursing on his first drink when other commanders started to show up. The first was Wolffe, who, as soon as he saw Fox, took his helmet and threw it at him. Of course, years of combat training let him dodge it easily, but hitting Fox hadn't been the point. It was meant to send a message.</p>
<p>“Glad you could join us, Wolffe,” Fox said as his vod took a seat next to him.</p>
<p>“Okay, I’m here you di'kut. Now, explain.” Wolffe replied with a slight growl to his voice. Fox had to force himself not to roll his eyes.</p>
<p>“Not yet, we have to wait for everyone else to get here. I’m not explaining all of it again every time someone new gets here.”</p>
<p>Wolffe muttered a curse but didn’t argue. “Fine. Deal me in.”</p>
<p>It was only a few minutes later when Rex showed up, followed closely behind by Appo. Fox also had to explain to them that they needed to be patient to get his first-hand account of killing a Sith Lord. And though they were annoyed by it, like Wolffe, they didn’t fight with him about it.</p>
<p>And this cycle continued as the night went on,  the bar began to fill out, and the rest of the commanders who they were expecting showed up. Fox had stepped out of the game of sabbac a while ago, preferring to simply observe as the game dissolved into madness fuelled by alcohol, and wanting to keep his credits and not having to spill all the secrets and gossip he had gathered over the years. He would rather keep that for a more important situation, not in what was merely a game, no matter how seriously some of them were taking it.</p>
<p>There were some cheers from the group playing as Bly put his head in his hands, having bombed out.</p>
<p>“Alright then,” Colt said, who was the one also closest to winning the round at the moment, speaking with a slight slur. “Spill it, vod. When are you finally going to propose to General Secura?”</p>
<p>This was met by laughter from all around the table, and even in the neon-lit bar, Fox could see the blush crawling over his face.</p>
<p>“I am not proposing to her,” Bly replied, lifting his face from his hands, which was met by much doubt from the rest of the commanders. After a bit of jeering, Bly continued, though much quieter. “Besides, I don’t have anywhere close to enough credits to buy a ring. And I’m not even sure if she likes me back.”</p>
<p>“Force vod, I didn't realize you were <em> that </em> dense,” A new voice said, one not from the table. Everyone looked over to see who the new arrival was as they continued. “Of course she likes you back, otherwise you wouldn’t even be considering getting her a ring. And if General Skywalker and Senator Amidala weren’t a thing, you and General Secura would be the worst kept secret in the Republic.”</p>
<p>“You’re one to talk, Kote,” Bly spit back at Cody, who was the one who had just arrived and spoken. “We all know about you and General Kenobi.”</p>
<p>“Only because all of you are so damn nosy,” Cody replied, taking a seat in the only chair that wasn’t yet occupied. “And I also don’t look at him like a tooka every time he says something.”</p>
<p>Bly opened his mouth to say something, but someone else interrupted him first. Fox thought it was Grey, but it was hard to tell at such a crowded table in such poor lighting, especially with all of them technically having the same voice.</p>
<p>“Why the hell were you so late, anyway?”</p>
<p>Sounds of agreement and added questioning came from various other commanders before Cody replied. “I only got in two hours ago. We got caught up with some Seps on the way here, and it took a lot longer to deal with them than it should have.”</p>
<p>Before anyone could ask to hear that story, Wolffe spoke up from next to Fox. “Well, now that you’re here, that means Fox can finally tell us how he became so popular with the news all of a sudden.”</p>
<p>Everyone’s attention turned to Fox, and stifling a sigh, he began. “Fine, but all of you are going to have to be quiet and pay attention because I’m not repeating any of it.”</p>
<p>Fox started the story when they heard the alarm going off in a senator’s office. He hoped he was telling it in a way that did it all justice. He had never been much of a storyteller, but everyone around the table seemed enraptured by it, so that seemed like a good sign. Fox ended it after he killed Palpatine, and the table fell into silence as everyone took it all in.</p>
<p>“Well damn,” Cody is the first one to speak. “No wonder they’re calling you the hero of the Republic vod.”</p>
<p>Agreements are muttered from around the table, and Rex is the next one to speak up. “You know what, I think that story, and Commander Fox here, deserve a toast.”</p>
<p>There were louder agreements this time as sabacc cards were set down and people picked up their drinks. Fox took his half-drunken second round and held it up. “Fine, but don’t toast to me or whatever. Let’s toast to…. To the Republic.”</p>
<p>“Alright then, to the Republic!” Rex said, followed by glasses clinking together, along with other shouts of “To the Republic!” and a few even replied with an “Oya!”</p>
<p>After that, the night only devolved more, with plenty of rounds of drinks and sabacc alike. Even Fox let himself relax a little, having a couple of drinks more than his usual two. He had never been one who liked to be the center of attention, but sitting here, laughing and relaxing with all his brothers, the war all but over? Now that, that wasn’t so bad.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Translations:<br/>Vod - Brother<br/>Di'kut - Idiot, useless individual, waste of space (lit. someone who forgets to put their pants on)<br/>Kote - Glory<br/>Oya! - Many meanings: literally *Let's hunt!* and also *Stay alive!*, but also *Hoorah!*, *Go you!*, *Cheers!* Always positive and triumphant</p>
<p>This was supposed to be a one-shot but my brain is having ~ideas~, so if anyone wants to see more of this AU, let me know! And thank you for reading &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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